


In Youth

by Tmae



Category: DragonFable
Genre: Alexander Saga Era Warlic deserves a warning he's awful, Gen, Warning: Alexander Saga Era Warlic's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 23:06:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7820767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tmae/pseuds/Tmae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Warlic does not like Alexander</p>
<p>(Or: that one fic that was the first one I did involving pre-reset memory bleedover and I used the concept for angst that I only just made a title up for over a year after writing it)</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Youth

**Author's Note:**

> To quote myself from when I originally posted this fic on Tumblr: "I would say ‘oops’ but I feel like I forfeited my 'oops’ rights by writing this thing deliberately."

Warlic does not like Alexander.  
Alexander is a _weakling,_ a _pathetic_ human mana wielder who has _no right_ to call himself a mage or to learn from the same teacher as such an accomplished mage as Warlic himself!

These are the things that Warlic tells himself. The things he tries to believe with all his might because they absolutely, positively must be true.

These are the things he knows are lies.

For, however much he may look at Alexander and his hopeless endeavours to woo Jaania, his pitiful fear of fire, his _audacity_ in challenging him and think _weak, undeserving of this position, hopeless_ and wish he could believe it, every time he sees that – annoying, irritating, aggravating, _insert other synonyms here_ – face, a quiet, insistent voice whispers _“He is strong. He will be **great**. Just guide him carefully,”   
_

Guide him? _GUIDE HIM?_ The _last_ thing Warlic ever wants to do is _guide him!_ Certainly, it would make _sense_ that such a novice as Alexander should learn from an experienced and talented mage as himself! But…  
Well, that’s the crux of the whole issue, isn’t it? It would make _sense_ for Alexander to learn from him and it just feels so, _so_ wrong to be learning _with_ him. Deep in his core, it is as though his entire being rebels against the idea that he is – a pause to mentally scoff, lest he risk lending any credence to the idea – a _fellow student_ of Alexander’s. The last time he felt anything at all similar to this sense of utter _wrongness_ was when he defeated his father. It feels so similar – albeit highly diluted in comparison – to the wrongness of Wargoth that Warlic wants to vomit. It, maybe, just a tiny, tiny, little bit, _scares_ him.

( _“Guide him right and he will be **great,** ” whispers the little voice and Warlic swallows his heart back into his chest and thinks of the wrongness of Wargoth and the deep in the pit of his core feeling he gets learning around Alexander and whispers back “_How _great?”)_

He tries to ignore it, but it will not be ignored. It is like his body wants to move _instinctively,_ to repeat actions taught to it long ago that were so common they are muscle memory, like his tongue has been trained to know _just_ what to say, to comfort him, to help him, to build him up.  
He sees Alexander work hard and has to restrain himself almost violently from clapping him on the shoulder and smiling widely and telling him _“Good job!”_.

The little voice and the instincts that sit along with the wrongness of being fellow students tell him to build Alexander up, so, instead, Warlic wrests back control of his body and his tongue and viciously, violently _tears. him. down.  
_

For every held back comforting, reassuring, praising word there are ten more jibes and jabs and taunts. For every point of resisted contact, there is a less kind one. For every whisper of _“Guide him. He will be great. Guide him to it,”_ there is a flicker of flame.

Warlic does not like Alexander.  
And he really, really wishes he could hate him.


End file.
